Government contracts... who's got them and how did you win them?

If anyone has any federal/state contracts please contact me and knows how to find contracts specific to window cleaning and pressure washing…been through

FBO.gov

having issues finding just wc/pw jobs. They all seem to be “janitorial”


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the ones I have they called me, got an escort on base and bid. to win big contracts, there are companies who will get priority like certified small biz, minority owned etc…

there is a company that is scamming people right now promising to win contracts for you if you give them money…

the ones I have they called me, got an escort on base and bid. to win big contracts, there are companies who will get priority like certified small biz, minority owned etc…

there is a company that is scamming people right now promising to win contracts for you if you give them money…

I have heard the government has to tell you what the last winning bid is if you ask.
You have to know who to ask.

Might start at the city library, and find out who is in charge of maintenance of government buildings and go from there…

Remember there are Federal, State, County and City buildings…

I hope someone can add to this, 'cause I would like to know that too…

I’m afraid a lot of the window cleaning contracts are being managed by Janitorial companies. If you want to do the windows on some buildings, you have to subcontract through the property manager.
Hope this makes sense.
vic

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Yes, often they will tell you. You can also often find a list of awarded bids from last time on many State, County, and City websites. Many smaller buildings fall below the dollar threshhold (I often see $30K-50K as the limit) for the public bidding process. That doesn’t mean it won’t be competitive bidding, just that it’s more informal. You just have to get your name in there. You can register as a bidder or vendor in advance, and recieve notices by email, but every agency seems to use a different system.

And you better call before you fill out 50 pages of paperwork (42 today, actually). Two recent experiences: A quarterly 2 story county office building I&O, with a very tricky lobby interior (lotsa sectional work, pole work thru hanging frames): My bid: $905.00, winning bid: $200.00 A nine story city office tower, I&O, annually, tough inside scheduling (courtrooms, offices, strictly 8am-4pm), easy drops outside: My Bid $3700.00, winning bid $975.00. If you can find out in advance what you’re up agaisnt, you can save yourself the time & gas. On the other hand, we’ve been low bid occasionally, and are sometimes the only ACCEPTED (it’s about the paperwork) bid.

Great ideas guys… I’m a disabled vet so there isn’t much higher priority for preference. I was gonna start at the labor department but, library sounds like more fun :slight_smile:

That is a huge point. Last year at NOLA we had the purchasing administrator for the City of New Orleans explain how to get business and get paid promptly for government work. She addressed the common misconception that lowest price is the only factor. She emphasized that lowest accepted bid usually won but that most bids that they received did NOT meet bid guidelines and that sometimes it was something as simple as wrong color paper or format.

Bro you need to read. Read a lot and go to the seminars. Here’s the point. Last year the VA hospital in San Fran (I think) was awarded for 16 million over 5 years. Now that’s a nice gig. On large bids like that you can see the companys who are bidding. You just won’t see how much. You won’t have a chance against many of them. Reason being is they’re small business, minority owned. I once heard a story and I’m not sure if it’s true, hench why I call it a story. But I was told that a tech company of wounded vietnam vets struck a deal with an aleut eskimo woman (pretty much the lowest on the list of minorities according to the guy) where as she, would marry one of them and become 10% owner of the company. Again don’t know if it’s true, but I have seen stranger things take place.
I have two contracts , one came from a call and the other from someone I know. Your vet status is going to help a great deal. You have to register your company with the feds to bid and part of that requirement is to be a legal company, insurance, etc. You also have to register a D&B. You will receive a # and state the type of work you do. IE Just window cleaning, or window can floor cleaning. Everything is posted online, bids, contracts etc. I forget all the links I just search and know when I’m on the right site. The contracts do come up and you have to know when is a good time to look. You can search on that site you posted before. https://www.fbo.gov/ that’s where all the info is. I will say the contracts are pretty sweet. If you can stay below a certain number $$$ the contracts don’t even have to be open up to the public for bidding. They can sign a contract on the spot, if you have all your documents. It’s a lot but well worth it. Also if these guys like you, they won’t look for other bids. They will only call your company next time and just put in a justification for it. Read that site brotha. I have yet to bid on a window cleaning contract from that site or with my D&B. But I will tell you, it’s a dawnting task. Most of the jobs are out of my service area. IE another state. But It has crossed my mind the wonderful dream of landing a 16,000,000.00 contract for 5 years lol.

Well my wife is a filipino also. Her name is also on the business. lol i’m not going to marry an eskimo though lol. Smart but, a little crazy if you ask me.

Between your vet status and her it would be worth reading how to get the contracts.

I personally think it would be a waste of my time to pursue these contracts - just me though. I have one job we did last year at the air force base. The guy called me out of the blue - wanted it done right away, and took months to pay. I made room for the 2k job. Then after doing the job they wanted me to register for a duns and ? number. I literally spent hours waiting on hold, and trying to get this dumb number. I finally called the guy and got paid a different way. Still don’t have whatever it was they require and to be honest I won’t spend another minute on it.

Check with your local State Chapter of (NIGP) National Institute of Government Purchasing.
Here’s an e-mail that was sent to me by mine …

Dear Mr. Window,

Meet with Purchasing professionals who spend nearly one billion dollars annually on goods and services ranging from office supplies to building construction. This unique opportunity is brought to you by the Southern Chapter of the National Institute of Government Purchasing (NIGP).

Meet, greet, and connect with governmental purchasing professionals from several different local county’s.
Admittance includes a copy of the 2011 Edition of the NIGP Directory and access to the Reverse Trade Show to browse the tables/displays provided and talk to governmental purchasing professionals.

So don’t delay - - mark you calendar and join us in “Uniting Business with Government”

I’d be going, IF I weren’t already planning to attend the IWCA!

How much money does NIGP want for their “services?”

For winning a Government Contracts you need to recognized by government agencies and decide what exactly you want to sell, determine the products you may sell to which federal government. For more information you can visit the bidding site here :- allgovbids.com

I once worked as a civilian contractor for the government, till they laid me off! Anyway, I was a Procurement Agent basically bought marine and aircraft parts. Occasionally searched for service companies for jobs. Basically searched 3 or more vendors and asked for a quote. Government is broke, lowest bid always won! Not worth the time unless your the lowest bid.

You need to go down there and see who is in charge, speak with them… Bring lunch, phone charger , snacks , and wait for the guy to leave , while walking to his car, Hand him your bid and 5K in an envelope and say, Have a nice day , with many more to come…

You will get that contract, And you bet your bottom , He will be wanting more were that came from…

Hi everyone I have been going through this very issue and I have teamed up with a janitorial company that hates windows and recommends me. We are working on a partnership that will benefit both companies. It is a long process to go through but it is worth it. My company has been about 90% residential and have been looking into commercial projects and the janitorial company has been a great help because they have been around for awhile and hooked up to all the gov facilities. Talk to a reputable janitorial company and get in that way.
You can call me at 360-678-8335. Hope this helps.
Thank You
Jason
Crystal Clean Windows & More LLC

Just because you do business this way does not mean others do or should. I think it irresponsible to give advise to bribe government officials to gain contracts. Just my opinion.

Why do I get the feeling you’ll end up in a Robinson Solutions blog post someday?